Freshman duo lead way as Vista Murrieta sweeps reigning champ

MURRIETA 
There’s a changing of the guard in the Southwestern League.

Freshmen Jaelyn Brown and Brittney Reed both had double-doubles Friday night to lead the Vista Murrieta High girls basketball team to a landmark 61-51 win over Murrieta Valley and a sweep of the season series against the two-time defending league champion.

The host Nighthawks (19-5, 6-2) fought valiantly, just as they did in a 53-50 overtime loss to the same Broncos on Jan. 16. Murrieta Valley battled back from an early 10-2 deficit and trailed by just four points heading into the final quarter, but Brown and Reed proved too much to handle inside down the stretch.

Brown had 20 points and 15 rebounds and frustrated the Nighthawks defensively with seven steals. Reed came off the bench to record 16 points and 11 rebounds.

“(Brown and Reed) are not post players,” Vista Murrieta coach Chris Jones said. “They’re so athletic that we can use them that way. Late in the game, when bodies were getting tired and pressure comes up, that’s where you go — inside. Both Brittney and Jaelyn were very good at holding their position, getting to the basket or getting to the free throw line.”

“I remind them to slow down, take each possession one at a time,” Maulupe said. “I am there for them because sometimes the games get out of hand because they’re young. I am always there for them.”

That composure will be needed as Vista Murrieta, ranked No. 3 in the latest CIF Southern Section Division 1-A poll, has the pieces to make a deep postseason run. With only three seniors on their 12-player roster, the Broncos got a little taste of postseason intensity in the game.

“(The game) was very competitive,” Brown said. “It’s very fast-motion paced. I was able to stay with the pace. It was a lot different from all the games that I played.”

The Broncos (20-5, 8-0) need only one more league win to clinch the outright title, and it has been a long time coming for Maulupe, who endured fourth-place finishes the previous two seasons.

Entering this year, Maulupe had been on the losing end of five straight games against Murrieta Valley. She’s now part of the first Broncos team to sweep the Nighthawks since the 2007-2008 season.

“This win is the best feeling in the world,” Maulupe said. “I don’t know how to describe it.”

However, the Nighthawks struggled to create consistent scoring opportunities against the Broncos’ smothering defense. With Reed and Brown grabbing rebounds in bunches, second- or third-chance opportunities were minimal for Murrieta Valley.

“Both times, we played them tough and gritty,” Murrieta Valley coach Scott Richards said. “I am really proud of the way they played. They never gave up.”